Let's Talk About Sesame Street and The Electric Company

Me - I love Sesame Street and the Electric Company. I watched Sesame Street when I was a kid, and I liked it a lot. I have seen Old School Sesame Street from when my mom was a kid, and I like those episodes too. I did not like it when my sister was little, and I do  not like it now though. Now, it is too much the Murray show and Elmo's World. Elmo is just okay. I liked him better when I was a kid. I don't like Murray at all. He is stupid and annoying.

My sister always loved Abby Cadabby's Flying Fairy School and Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures. For her birthday one year when she was little, I got her a disc of Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures.

When I was in fifth grade, Dr. Loretta Long, who plays Susan on Sesame Street, came to my classroom at school. She just came to my class  and not any others because my teacher's husband was writing a book with her. She talked to us and answered questions.  The whole thing was videotaped,  and she put it on her website which I don't remember the name of.

I also love The Electric Company. I like the older version. The newer version stinks. I didn't  watch The Electric Company as much as Sesame Street, but I really like it. It is really really funny. I love Love of Chair. I also love Very Short Stories. Both Sesame Street and The Electric Company are great especially for kids learning their numbers and letters and/or learning to read.

Mom - When I was little I loved Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Of course, Sesame Street has run continuously since 1969 although there have been changes in the format. The Electric company initially ran from 1971 through 1977.  Than, later an updated version was aired from 2009 through 2011.

Many things about Sesame Street have changed over the years.  When I was kid, Kermit the Frog was a regular character on the show. Now, he is not a part of Sesame Street at all. Many other characters and regular segments have been added  over the years. When I was kid there was  no Elmo, Rosita or Abby Cadabby to name just a few.. Other characters have been taken away over the years probably most notably Roosevelt Franklin, a smart kid who spoke in scat  and was thought to thought to perpetuate negative stereotypes about black children. Still other things and characters have remained the same since the show's debut. There has always been a Big Bird and a Bert and an Ernie, for example.

The current Electric Company series is nothing like the original 1970's series, and in my opinion is not nearly as good. Sesame Street is more for little kids just learning their letters and numbers. The Electric Company is more for older kids learning to read. I enjoyed both of these series when I was a kid, and I enjoy watching them again with my kids. I enjoy the older episodes of Sesame Street more than the current ones. I enjoy the ones from when my older daughter was young more than the ones from when my younger daughter was little and definitely more than the ones now.

We own DVDs  of old school Sesame Street as well as DVDs of the best of The original Electric Company. My kids found them as just as enjoyable to watch as I did when I originally watched them when I was a kid. Both shows were produced by the same company, The Children's Television workshop. I  have read several books about the history of Sesame Street.  I  had often wondered why The Electric Company did not last as long as Sesame Street even though they were equally educational. I found that it was not because one was considered more important or  better than the other one. The Children's Television Workshop  had enough trouble getting funding for one show let alone two. Eventually, they were forced to chose between the two shows, and they chose Sesame Street. I, however, loved them both, and a part of me still does because they are a beloved part of my childhood.

And that's our view. What are your favorite Sesame Street memories or what  other educational show was a beloved part of your childhood?

Photo credits:
photo credit 1: starfire Chuck-Bert-Ernie via photopin (license)
photo credit 2: John Donges via photopin (license)
photo credit 3: Joe Shlabotnik Muppets Pose For Pictures via photopin (license)